Overhead electrical conductor system



H. B. P. WRENN ET AL OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR SYSTEM Filed May 17. 1923 Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- HENRY .'B. I. WRENN AND ALOYSIUS S 0DONOGHUE, 0F, CLEVELAND, OHIO,

OVERHEAD ELECTRICAL connoo'ron SYSTEM.

Application filed May 17, 1923. Serial No. 639,512.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY B. P. VVRENN, and ALoYsIUs S. ODoNocHUn, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented, a certain new and useful Improvement in Overhead Electrical Conductor Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference, being, had to the accompanying drawings. q V

This invention relates 'tooverhead conductor systems for electrical railwaysand has particular reference to a system similarcto that described in our Reissue Patent No. 15,876, dated July 22,1924.

Theprimary object of the present invention is to provide an overhead suspension systemwhich shall'be composed of a plura-lity of feeder conductors suspended inany suitable manner, andffrom each of which .is suspended a contact wire which, shall i receive current from its feeder conductor at certain definite points. a p

Another object is to provide an overhead suspension system wherein the contact-wires .and feeder conductors shall be arranged ;in a series of, overlapping loops so that a, collector moving thereover shall cause a shearing action between adjacent wires and conductors in advance of said collector thereby freeing the wires and conductors of ice and snow..: I

7 Another object is to provide an overhead suspension system which shall mitigate what are commonly referred to as hard spots and which shall maintain contact between the collector and contact wires at all times and thus reduce arcing to a minimum.

Astill further object is to provide a suspension system of the aforesaid character which shall be particularly adapted for efficient transmission of large currents and which shall be easy to erect and maintain, highly durable in operation, and which shall consist of few parts.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the various novel fea- T tures of construction and arrangement or combination, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing wherein we .have shown one form of our invention, Fig.

1 is a side elevation of a portion of an overhead suspenslon system employing our mproved construction; Fig. 2 1s an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. .3 is an enlarged side elevat1on of a portion of a feeder wire and a contact wire showing the latter clamped to the former.

Describing the various parts by reference characters, 1' denotes a suitable support from which a catenary suspension, cable2 is hung. Dependingfrom thiscable are a plurality of hangers designated by the numerals 3, 4,

5 and 6 Alternate hangers such as those numbered 3 and 5 support a feeder conductor 7 while hangers 4 and 6 support a second feederconductor 8.. As shown in Fig.1 these conductors are preferably arranged to define a series of freely suspended overlapping loops so that vertical movement ofone withrespect to the other Will effect a shearing action and-serve to dislodge iceand snow as will be more fully explained hereinafter. These conductors are prefer- 1 ably formed with a special cross section sothat suitable clamps may be secured thereto without lateral projections which would interfere with the aforesaid shearing action. As shown inv Figs. 2 and 3, wepreferably form these conductors with upper and lower dovetail portions 10 and also with oppositely disposed ,andlaterally, projecting ribs 11. A clamp 12 connects each hanger with its respective feed conductor and eaclrclamp. is provided with a pair of jaws .14: which,

are recessed to receive theupper dovetail portion 1 0 of the conductor.. The lower edges of the jaws are adapted to contact with the lateral projections 11 and lie flush with the outer side edgesthereof so as to define a smooth vertical surface and permit vertical movement of one conductor with respect to the other. 7

Each feed conductor 7 and 8 has suspended therefrom, by clamps 15, a contact wire designated 16 and 17 respectively. These wires are preferably arranged in a series of freelysuspended overlapping loops preferably supported from its conductor so that a clamp 12 will be positioned intermediate to a pair of clamps 15 or in other words each contact wire will be looped with respect to each other, and each wire is beneath the hangers supporting its feed con-" ductor. This arran ement provides flexibility to the system and mitigates what are commonly referred to as hard spots.

The clamps 15 may be of any suitable-construction and as an example of such, we-ha-ve shown them romposed of two plates 18 which are adapted to be clamped together by screws 19. The upper and lower edges of .these plates are recessed to receive the lower dovetail portion 10 of one of thefeedconductors and the dovetail portion 20 of its contact wire. These clamps are devoid of lateral Lprojections which'might interfere with the vertiral movementof one'wire with-respect to the other.

'From the foregoing description it will be obvious that a collectorpassing over the contact wires'will force "said wiresto a level and thus raise the lowest loop to the level'of thejpoint of suspension of theother *wire. This will effect a 'sheari'ng'action 'inadvance of the collector and dislodge ice and snow from the wires so that good electrical contactbetween said collector-and'contac't wires is assured. It will be noted that the collector will make contact "with both wires at all times and thus a 'maximumarea of contact is obtained and sparking and arcing is 'reduced to a minimum. As the collector passes over the points of'su'sp'ension of the contact wires from the conductors, there will "be aslight upward moveme'nt due to the fact that these p'oints are disposed-along a loop of the feed conductors,'a'nd hence all hard spots are eliminated and the collector will movefr'eely'thereover. Our system is particularly ad'apted'for heavy dutys'ervice "requirin'ga large amount of-c'urrent as each contact 'wirereceiv'esits current "at-"a plu- --rality'of points from "at-"single feed conductor.

The system as a "whole may be insulated in any suitable manner-as by insulators 22 interposed between cable '2' and thesupports therefor.

It will be understood'that the terms wire. cable'and conductor areiised in'th'e specification and claims in'their br'oadest'senseto include any conductor of eithersolidor stranded form, or any-combination 'thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. Anelectrical' system of the character set forth comprising ai'pluralit'yof feeder conductors, and a contact wireconnected to each conductorysaid contact wires being-arranged in a series of overlapping loops.

2. An electrical system'of thech'aracter set forth comprising a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from a plurality of points to define a series of overlapping loops, and a contact 'wire connected to'each feeder conductor.

3. An electrical system of the character set forth comprising a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from a plurality of points to define a series of overlapping loops,and a contact wire connected to each feeder conductor, said contact wires being arranged in a series of overlapping loops.

4:. An electrical system of the character set forth comprising a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from a plurality of conductors, and a contact :wire connectedto each feeder conductor, said contact Wires being arranged in a series of freely suspended overlapping loops.

*6. An electrical system' of the character set forth comprising a suspension cable, a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from said cable, anda contact *wire carried by each fee'der conductor.

-7. Anelectri'cal system of the character set forth comprising a suspension cable, .a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from said cable, said feeder conductors bein-g arranged in a series of ove'rlalppin'g loops, and' wcontact wire connected toeajcli T feeder conducton said :contact w-ir'es being armnged in a series of overla'p pi'n'g loops.

8. An 'electrical system 0f thecharaoter set forth comprising a suspension oablefand i a 'iplurality of feeder conductors suspen'ded -"fro'i'n said cable, 'said conductors b'ei'ng larran'ged in a series of overlapping vloo'ps.

"9. An electrical system I of the =chiatra'oter set forth I comprising a suspen's'ion -"caible, a pair of feeder 'conductors suspended from "said cable, said conductors being suspended at alternate points "to define 'a' serie's l'of overlapping loops, and a contact wire connected to'e'ac'h feeder c'on'ductor and-adaptedto receive electrical energy therefrom, said contact "wires being arranged in a series of 5 overlapping loops.

10. An electrical'system of the'ichara'cter set forth comprising a plurality of feeder conductors suspended from a plurality of points to define -a series of "overlapping loops, and a contact wire connected to:said feeder conductors.

11. An'electrical system of the character set forth comprising a'plurality of feeder conductors, a contact wire positivelyand independently connected to eaclrof'said feeder conductorsto form a positive electrical connection thereby to permit the'transfer-of electrical energy from said 4 feeder conductors to said contact wires-wlthout arcing or sparking, said contact wires being arranged in a series of freely suspended overlapping loops wherebya shearing action between said contact wires will be effected at substantially all points along said wires as a current collecting device moves therealong.

12. An electrical system of the character set forth comprising a plurality of feeder conductors, a contact wire positively and independently connected to each feeder conductor at aplurality of points, said points of connection between said feeder conductors and contact wires each serving as a positive electrical connection to permit the transfer of electrical energy from said feeder conductors to said contact wires Without arcing or sparking, said contact wires being arranged in a series of freely suspended overlapping loops whereby a shearing action between said contact wires will be effected at substantially all points along said wires as a current collecting device moves therealong.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto affix our signatures.

HENRY B. P. WRENN. ALOYSIUS S. ODONOGHUE. 

